'chromic' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'chroma', where 'chroma' meant 'color'.

'chromic' changed from the Modern Latin/French element name 'chrome' (from Greek 'chroma') combined with the adjectival suffix '-ic', and eventually became the modern English word 'chromic' in the late 18th to 19th century.

Initially, it meant 'relating to color', but over time it also came to mean 'relating to chromium or its compounds' after the element chromium was identified and named.